May Wish List

Ice Cream Print Short-sleeved Grey T-Shirt, Romwe, £11.05 // Blue abstract print maxi dress, River Island, £50 // Studded Denim Hotpants, Kate Moss for Topshop, £50 // Leaf Cuff Bracelet, Asos, £12 // Filigree Fine Stack Rings, Asos, £8 // Subtle Geo Midi Rings, Forever 21, £3.90 // Palm Leaf Print Side Split Tee, Topshop, £36 // Black floral print visor, River Island, £13 // Light green oversized sunglasses, River Island, £13 // Westward Studded Sandals, Forever 21, £16.90 // Pineapple Shaped Color Block Bag, Romwe, £12.89 


Everything is better in summer. The days are longer, it tends to be warm and sunny outside and  it feels like you get a lot more spare time to yourself. I find it almost impossible to be sad and mopey on a bright sunny day - it feels like such a waste of life! Likewise, it becomes more acceptable to wear bright and colourful make-up (neon pink nail polish, orange lips and lime-green eye liner anyone?) and the shops are full of bright and happy prints.

The one thing I'm definitely looking into getting this summer is a light, floaty maxi dress that I can just dance and float around in on warm days. But me being me, it's got to have some sort of loud print on it, otherwise it would just feel a little too "meh".

After my recent obsession with friendship bracelets (which is still going strong) I've now branched out into gold jewellery, mainly delicate gold stacking rings and there seems to be loads of choice in the shops lately, at bargain prices too!

Speaking of prices, it seems like Romwe have really lowered theirs ever since I last looked on their website. I remember them originally charging around the £50 mark for a top, whereas now most items are firmly under £30. I can see a big online order coming up soon!

As the weather's getting warmer it's also time to start looking for some appropriate footwear. It's already too warm for boots and I can't just live in my Converse all the time. Sandal shopping is always a bit of a dilemma for me, as I tend to only like pairs with ridiculously high heels, which I then wear once or twice, realise how much they make my feet hurt and then banish them to the back of my cupboard. This year, I absolutely refuse to even consider a pair of Birkenstocks, no matter how comfy/fashionable they might be. I have, however, spotted quite a few pairs with decorated, wrap-around straps which I find very pretty.

An honourable mention goes to those denim shorts by Kate Moss for Topshop. At £50 I would consider them to be at the top end of what I find to be an acceptable price for a pair of shorts, but how perfect are they for festivals? And even if I don't end up going to any festivals this year, I can at least wear them out in the streets and pretend like I'm at a festival...

April Wish List

Green Tropical Floral Print Shirt, River Island, £26 // Melting Cleansing Balm, Merumaya, £14.50 // Black Lace Sleeve Swing Dress, River Island, £35 // Anchors Ahoy Slim Leather Journal, Paperchase, £15 // Set Sail Wayfarer Sunglasses, Forever 21, £3.50 // The Beatles Sea of Monsters Slip Ons, Vans, £52 // Pink Pineapple Print Bodycon Dress, New Look, £14.99 // Cutout Chevron Ring Set, Forever 21, £3.15 // Wooden Tray, H&M, £12.99


Can you sense a theme in this month's wish list? Yep, I feel like I desperately need a holiday, ideally somewhere in a warm and sunny place right by a beach. While at home still I can always cheer myself up with cool nautical accessories like the journal or the ridiculously cheap sunglasses.

Tropical prints are another option. I somehow really want a Hawaii shirt, but I feel like the light River Island blouse would probably make for a more grown-up and feminine version. I'm don't wear dresses anywhere near as much as I should, but the pineapple print on the New Look one would certainly tempt me to get it out of the wardrobe. I also like the black River Island dress for slightly more formal occasions and I find this type of cut to be incredibly flattering.

The Merumaya cleansing balm is something I want to get my hands on after hearing so many great things about it. I actually just bought a new cleanser, but it's not as great as I thought it would be, so it might be time tow switch soon.

Finally, I couldn't help myself but to slip in another home ware item. I've never looked at the home section of H&M before, but after seeing quite a few of their items featured on various blogs I had a quick peek and I really like the vast majority of items that I saw. This tray would look great in the kitchen filled with several pots of fresh herbs.

March Wish List

Edla Backpack Bexicheck, Monki, £20 // Sharon Leaf Necklace, Monki, £8 // Ice Cream Applique Jumper, Topshop, £45 // Jewellery Hook Mirror, Next, £16 // Set of 2 Fruit and Veg Hampers, Next, £12 // Mini tealight lanterns, Dwell, £34.95 // Double triangle hoops, River Island, £6 // Surrealist Knotted Headwrap, Forever 21, £3.15 // Pink kaleidoscope print high waisted shorts, River Island, £28 // Pretty-Tough floral high-tops, Forever 21, $29.80

How can you tell that we just moved into a new house? Sneaky home ware items have even made it onto my monthly wish list! My tastes in fashion and homeware couldn't be more diametrically opposed - while I love clothes that are bright, colourful and even quite childish at times, when it comes to home decoration I'm all for a muted, understated vintage look. 

The hooked mirror is actually intended for jewellery storage, but I think it would make itself very nicely in the hallway, to hang keys on and do that absolutely necessary last lipstick / hair check before you leave the house. I'm also on the hunt for a nice fruit bowl, but actually these baskets are probably a lot nicer than any old bowl - especially the white mixing bowl I'm currently using to put all my fruit in!! Lastly, I could quite happily decorate my house in anything from Dwell, but their prices are certainly holding me back. Those little tealight lanterns would make create such a warm, cosy atmosphere in the evenings - albeit £35 for the set is rather steep!

Back onto fashion and I'm so glad that it's now socially acceptable to wear backpacks instead of hand bags again. I love to cram my whole life into my bag and as a result my shoulder always gets stiff and sore from carrying huge bags, but with a backpack I no longer need to worry about that! I love the print on this Monki one and £20 is quite the bargain!

Speaking of prints, the kaleidoscope print on those River Island shorts is actually making my brain a little confused. It's like they're hypnotising me whilst slowly whispering "buy me..." into my ear.

Quite annoyingly, both the double triangle earrings and the flower print hi-tops are sold out - though I'm not even sure why I put the earrings on there, seeing as I can't even wear earrings due to my earlobes being stretched. Guess I just liked the look of them!

I also didn't think I'd ever say this, but I quite fancy getting my hands on a nice head wrap. I particularly  like the look of this bright Forever 21 number. I could just imagine feeling like a slightly crazy painter adding those deciding brush strokes while wearing my hair tied back in this. Perhaps that's my imagination going a little overboard, here!

And last but not least, that ice cream jumper. Happiness. On. A. Jumper. Need I say anything else?

February Wish List

Striped Sweatshirt, Pull & Bear, £17.99 // 3D Globe Pendant Necklace, Urban Outfitters, £12 // Heart-shaped Print Pink Skirt, Romwe, £18.12 // Coins Bracelet, Asos, £6 // Reve de Miel Ultra Nourishing Lip Balm, Nuxe, £9.50 // MOTO Faux Leather Fronted Leigh Jeans, Topshop, £42 // MOTO Folk Embroidered Hotpants, Topshop, £34 // Origami Animal Earrings, Love Hearts and Crosses, £10 // Pink Tribal Print Friendship Bracelets Pack, New Look, £6.99 // Geo Darling Boxy Tee, Forever21, £11.50

Slowly but surely the spring collections are seeping into shops (the first month of the year is over now, after all) and I'm all over them! I always struggle to find clothes I like in the winter months, as everything tends to be black and grey and really, really dull. 

And just because it's still winter doesn't mean I can't start looking for a new pair of shorts. That's what tights were invented for, after all!

I also couldn't help but sneak in a Valentine's themed item, either. The heart print Romwe skirt looks like it's the perfect cut to do an awful lot of swirling and swooshing in.

The Nuxe Reve de Miel lip balm was featured on pretty much every beauty bloggers 2013 favourites and as I'm in dire need of an intense over-night lip balm ever since I finished my last tube of 8 hour cream, it's about time I give this one a go.

Two other items on this list are also completely down to other bloggers. First of all, we have those faux leather Topshop jeans. I've always wanted some leather trousers, but was a bit weary about pulling the look off. Then I saw these over on Lily's blog (click here for the post) and fell in love with the half denim, half leather design. Unfortunately, they seem to have sold out online, but you might be able to still find them in stores. Over on Sailboat (click here for the post) Jenny introduced me to Love Hearts and Crosses and I want pretty much everything from the site, but I settled with the Origami hummingbird earrings for now. The site seems to be slightly temperamental with direct links, but they're definitely still there, so you might just need to search for them manually.

The globe pendant necklace holds special meaning to me, as one of my goals for this year is to save some money to finally go travelling. It would be a constant reminder that I need to get out and see the world!

I've also seen a similar bracelet to the coin one above a few months ago, but then I couldn't find it anywhere and regret not having made a purchase when I had the chance. I'm not doing the same mistake twice!

July Wish List

Lowri Neon Abstract Jersey Playsuit, Boohoo, £15 // Gray and Pink Round Sunglasses, Marc by Marc Jacobs, £109 // Eagy Western Flat Sandals, Aldo, £50 // Xoco Arrow Wrap Bracelet, Dixi, £12 // Long Sleeve Mix Match Check Shirt, Topshop, £32 // Pow! Ring, Forever21, £3.15 // Cotton Candy Hi-tops in Pink, Inkkas, £75 // Miracle Leopard Purse, Monki, £6

Would you believe that I spent the majority of my life absolutely hating bright prints? Aztec prints in particular. And now I just cannot get enough of the stuff. Especially now that the sun has finally decided to show, I just want to surround myself with loads of bright colours - the trippier the better!

They got me dreaming of travelling and exploring distant cultures without really having to leave London. And those sunglasses - expensive they may be - are just screaming to be worn at a hot summer festival with a maxi dress and loads and loads of jewellery.

June Wish List

White Diamond Print Jacket, Romwe, £40.28 // Ivory Tassel Bracelet, Urban Outfitters, £8 // Fluro Lace Plastic Mac, Topshop, £45 // Cutout Geo Necklace, Forever21, £3.15 // Jordan Wolf Crewneck, Drop Dead Clothing, £50 // Eagle Necklace, Asos, £15 // Photo Dove Tee, Topshop, £16

Admittedly, this month's wish list is a tad top heavy, but I've come to realise that I'm simply not a summery flutter dress kind of gal - and the recent weather has had me craving something warm and snuggly to throw over.

The star of this month's list has got to be that Topshop coat. Neon, lace and pvc all in one? It shouldn't work, but it so does and I would undoubtedly get a lot of use out of it in these grey and rainy conditions.

When I first heard that Olli Sykes, lead singer of Bring Me The Horizon, had his own clothing brand I was a tad skeptical - but after having a bit of a rummage through Drop Dead Clothing's site I found myself liking most of the items on there, particularly the wolf jumper.

I'm also a major fan of the diamond baseball jacket by Romwe - this type of diamond is exactly the style I want as part of my tattoo sleeve!

March Wishlist

Mesh Leopard Print Top, Forever21, £11 // Fake Diamond "Wings" Double Ring, Romwe, £16 // Trudy Jumper, Monki, £22 // Large Jewellery Box with drawer, Urban Outfitters, £40 // Evil Twin Dry Lightning Skater Skirt, Urban Outfitters, £55 // Grey Studded Collar Leather Look Biker Jacket, River Island, £65

This month features a surprising collection of items I need, rather than just want. Like this gorgeous (faux) leather jacket. I made it through all of winter without a coat, just because I don't like the one I have anymore and I didn't quite get round to buying a new one. So instead I just layered up like crazy to stay warm and as a result my current leather jacket is extremely worn out (and not in the cool vintage-looking way). I love the studs on this River Island version and the light grey colour instead of plain ol' black.

Another need item? Some sort of jewellery storage. I've been buying quite a bit of jewellery lately, but without anywhere to store it properly, it's all been getting tangled up in a corner of my nightstand drawer. What I like about this one is that it doesn't take up ridiculous amounts of space like those jewellery trees/hands/mini statues and the gorgeous tiffany-esque blue colour. Not that I have any Tiffany's jewellery to put in there, but a girl can dream, right?

And lastsly, not strictly speaking a "need", but I've realised that I no longer own a single skirt since my recent wardrobe overhaul, and long sleeved tops are also a little sparse now. The thing that keeps me off buying either of those is the fact that they tend to just be so, well... boring. Fortunately, this can't be said about the tie-dye type print on this Urban Outfitters skirt, or the amazing neon green colour of the Monki sweater. Anything neon and you'll find me all over it.

As for the rings and the cut-out mesh top? I just think they're pretty amazing. And a girl can never have too many pretty things, right?

February Wish List

Tropical Graphic Tee, Forever 21, £9.35 // Speckled nail polish in "Fragile", Illamasqua, £15 // "Shooting Firework" Leggings, Romwe, £20.14 // Maeve Pin Stud Flats, Missguided, £19.99 // Hot Pink Coco Nail Polish Phone Case, Phonefancy, $35.00

I'm loving big and colourful prints at the moment, so both the top and the leggings are right up my alley right now. There's just nothing to cheer you up on a dreary, grey winter's day than a big splash of colour all over your clothes.
I also admit that I am starting to develop an unhealthy obsession with Illamasqua make-up and their latest collection "I'mperfection" is another one of those where I just want to buy everything! If I had to choose just one item though, it would be this greyish blue speckled effect nail polish.
I've also gradually worn away pretty much all of my flats and these are exactly what I've been hunting for in high street shops, but could never ever find. I can't get enough of studs and spikes on shoes, bags and jewellery!
And last, but not least, the ultimate phone cover for pretty much any beauty blogger. As soon as I saw this featured in a post on makeupsavvy.co.uk I was smitten. There's also a dark blue version, but as these cases have become so popular, the manufacturer's actually on a backlog right now, so it would take forever to get one now - not fair!

June Wish List

Asos Freefall Leather Sandals £45 (€61,09) // Topshop Aztec Dip Dye Skirt £32 (€42) // Alpha-H Liquid Gold Revita and Firming Solution £31.50 (€38.40) // Forever 21 Floral Fit & Flare Dress £18.75 (€21.75) // Forever 21 Plated Chain Necklace £7.40 (€8.90)


I thought it would be impossible to find flat sandals that I like, but lo and behold, Asos have managed to make the impossible possible and I actually quite fancy this pair. Of course they would be completely useless for a summer spent in the city as the white leather would get mucky very, very quickly, but I guess you can't have everything... *sigh*

I recently noticed that I have no skirts left apart from two or three businessy ones, so that's a situation that has to be remedied quickly! I love the way this Topshop one taps into Aztec print, but without looking scary.

Alpha-H Liquid Gold is something I've wanted to try for a while, just because so many people are raving about it and I'm also quite curious if a chemical peel would make any difference to my skin.

Finally - and I can't believe I'm saying this - but I think Forever 21 has taken over from Topshop as my "shop where I could buy everything". Their clothes, their jewellery, hell even their pyjamas... I'm just in love. I love how summery this dress is whereas the necklace would be perfect to jazz up a plain top or t-shirt.


Ich dachte, es wäre unmöglich, flache Sandalen zu finden, die mir gefallen, aber seht her: Asos haben das Unmögliche möglich gemacht und dieses Paar finde ich sogar recht hübsch. Natürlich sind sie für einen Sommer in der Stadt total ungeeignet, da das weiße Leder sehr schnell schmutzig werden würde, aber man kann ja nicht alles im Leben haben.... *seufz*

Ich habe vor kurzer Zeit bemerkt, dass ich keine Röcke mehr habe, bis auf zwei oder drei "Büro-Röcke" und diese Situation muss schnellstens behoben werden! Ich liebe die Art, in die dieses Topshop-Stück auf Azteken-Print andeutet, ohne aber zu überwältigen.

Alpha-H Liquid Gold ist etwas, das ich schon seit längerer Zeit probieren wollte, weil so viele Leute davon begeistert sind. Es würde mich auch interessieren, ob ein chemisches Peeling irgendwelche Veränderungen auf meiner Haut hervorrufen würde.

Und zum Schluss - und ich kann nicht glauben, dass ich so etwas sage - denke ich, dass Forever 21 Topshop die Rolle des "Geschäfts, in dem ich alles kaufen könnte" abgenommen hatte. Die Kleidung, der Schmuck, ja sogar die Schlafanzüge sind alle ein Traum. Ich liebe das Sommerfeeling, das von diesem Kleid ausgeht, während die Kette ganz einfach ein simples Top oder T-Shirt aufpeppen würde. 

Weekly Lust List

I thought I'd make a new feature on my blog and make a weekly lust list. This is quite a popular topic in the blogosphere and personally I always like reading what other people would like to buy. Maybe it will also help me stop buying things that I don't really need/want? At the very least it's always fun to do a bit of online window shopping!

1) Asos Belted Dress in Pheasant Print, £35.00

I've got a bit of an obsession going on at the moment with day dresses and this little beauty would be a perfect addition to my wardrobe! It's a beautiful colour for autumn/winter and I just adore the rucheing on the sleeves, which are also a very comfortable length. The belt's included in the price and adds a nice bit of interest and a contrasting colour pop. The only thing is that I'd have to buy some more tights first, seeing as the dog has chewed up two pairs last week!

2) Benefit Watt's up! soft focus highlighter, £24.50

Just as I was starting to brag about how good my skin's been lately, it decides to go all dull and horrible on me. It might just be the winter weather, or it might be my current moisturiser, which I'm starting to eye with a bit of suspicion. Either way, I'm hankering after something that will bring a bit of life back to my complexion and this new highlighter/illuminator by Benefit looks really intriguing. I'm also loving the pretty packaging with the sponge applicator on one end.

3) Topshop Knitted Chunky Zip Cardigan, £60.00

This looks soooo warm and comfortable, I just want to snuggle up in it right now. I'm loving the contrasting stripe down the middle and slightly Navajo-ey pattern on the chest. It's the kind of thing you'd get bullied for when I was at school, but now it's in fashion I can let my inner geek out. It's such a shame about the price, though - £60 for a jumper?? Looks like this isn't happening any time soon for me.

4) Forever21 Sparkling Love Ring, £3.15

I adore Forever21's jewellery section and this ring is just so pretty! I tend to get allergic reactions to cheap jewellery if I have it for too long, so my collection consists of some keep-forever pieces that are made of gold or silver and a few fashion/costume pieces which I rotate regularly. The price is reasonable, so I'd be happy to wear it a few times and then chuck it once it makes my hand turn green.

5) Stila Retractable Powder Brush, £17.00

I really, really need to buy some more make-up brushes, but just can't bring myself to spend any money on them at the moment. This is something I need desperately for powder touch-ups on the go. I refuse to use sponges and powder puffs that come with a face powder, as they're difficult to clean and therefore unhygienic and also pretty rubbish for application. At the moment I just blot my face with tissue/toilet paper if I need to, but obviously that doesn't last for too long, so I really need to get my hands on one of these beauties, so I can powder myself up without getting stuff all over my handbag.

Haul Alert! Westfield Stratford Shopping City

This is a bit of a belated haul post - I wanted to do it for ages, but just couldn't get around to it, so apologies for the delay. My boyfriend had to go to an exhibition for work and asked if I wanted to come down to London with him for a couple of days and as I had a bit of time off I said yes. It turned out that our hotel was a Premier Inn right on top of the new Westfield shopping centre in Stratford, so I made the most of my day alone and went on a bit of a spending spree.

First up is this dress I picked up from New Look. It's not actually by New Look but by a label called Mela Loves London, which had its own little section upstairs in the stores. I desperately need some more "smart" clothes that I can wear to the office and I totally fell in love with the cute polka dot print and the soft wool material. The cowl neck is also incredibly flattering. At £25 it was also a bargain!

I also picked up this ring while I was there, which was on sale for £1! I don't really know why it was in the sale section, as they also had loads of these rings for the full price and there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with it.

Next I popped into Forever21 where I just couldn't resist this sweater. It's got Beagle puppies on it (*excited squeal*)! They had these with all sorts of animals, but the Beagles have got to be by far the cutest. It's one of those things that's so cheesy it's great again and will make a lovely cover up for cosy, lazy weekends. I think this was about £15, but I don't really remember anymore.

I also went into a shop called Beauty Base which mainly sold cheap perfumes - not as in awful crappy perfumes, but normal perfumes for less money - and cheap makeup - as in awful crappy makeup. I picked up a pack of five mini nail varnishes by L.A. Colors, as I loved the shades in the pack. I haven't tried any of these yet, so I can't comment on their colour density or staying power, but seeing as it cost me a pound or so for five nail polishes I won't be overly sad if they turn out to be rubbish.

I also got this bath and shower gel as I was running out and this smells absolutely gorgeous. It's a very strong fruity and refreshing scent, which might not be for everybody, but it's something I really love under the shower as it always manages to wake me up, even on the bleakest of mornings. Again, at round about two pounds for a 500ml bottle this is a complete bargain.

I also had to keep myself entertained, so I popped down to WHSmith and bought two books which were on a "buy-one-get-one-for-£1" offer. I already finished reading "The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake" and it has already become one of my favourite books ever, I really can't recommend it enough.

I bought this blusher from Topshop after I read loads and loads of positive reviews about their blushes. As you can see I've already been using it quite a bit. This is a cream formula in "Pinch", a gorgeous deep pink / fuchsia colour. The colour payoff of this product is absolutely amazing (see swatches below), it looks exactly like it does in the pot which is so rare. It's a creamy formula that dries into a powder on your skin, so you've got to blend it quickly before it dries. It's easy to overdo it with this blusher as it's just so colour intense, so it's better to just carefully dab it on rather than swirling your fingers around the pan and then to build it up on your cheeks as you go along.
It makes my face look really fresh and glowing, as if I'd just come back from a winter walk in the snow, which was exactly what I was looking for, so I'm extremely pleased with this product.

As I went through my lipsticks the other day I noticed that I always buy pretty much the same shade: a slightly greyish nude pink. In all seriousness, all my lipsticks are pretty much the same and only differ in finishes - some are glittery, some are sheer and some are matte. So I decided it's about time I got something a bit more brave, especially as there tends to be a recurring trend for strong lips every winter.
I went for this super intense fire engine red by Dior. It's actually called "Rouge Dolce Vita" from the Diorific line. How amazing is the packaging? It's a long lasting formula, so it's a good idea to apply lip balm beforehand, though it's still relatively creamy compared to other long lasting lipsticks I've tried. Oh, and when I say long lasting I mean long lasting. This stayed on my lips for hours, despite several drinks and a two course meal. You'd still need to touch it up from time to time, as it lost its sheen after a while, but I sure won't mind to pull this beauty out of my handbag any time soon.

Top: Diorific lipstick in Rouge Dolce Vita
Bottom: Topshop blush in Pinch